Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-04-12

\ successfully tamptEeu Win.
behind car, he saw the freight crew com,
TO a Union Line car. The wire was pniles
ont of the seal, the door was thrown OacI
and the car entered. In short time INT
men emerged carrying lot Of plunder
They made off 10 the caboOse and the con
ducfor pulled back the door, ran the wlr'
through the seal where it had been pulled
ont and with q board struck it blow
The wire went back to its place, the DO"
united the soft lead again without destroy
ing the lettering on either side, ana th'
seal was apparently untouched. L sa"
one of these, and it was only by the closes
scrutiny that a person could detect th'
signs oftampering with il"
| TAu this made clear, our course wa
much easier. The individuals OF these
crews were then each of them tracked
down. and may say here, that so closely
were the stolen goods located that out oI
all the arrests we made last night and thl'
morning, there was not one man bu'
had stolen stuff either upon him or II
his room. OF course you understand tna'
our methods used in ascertalning all tnl'
cannot be made public. Suffice 1t to say
that. we have our hands on every thlevlsf
employe and we are in easy reach OF those
who are not arrested. When | say we,
mean. of course, Mr.. GilkinsOn first, as u
him belongs the exclusive credit OF the
rich haul that filed the drag-net.
SOME OF THE THIEVES EXPLOITS.
81 can give q few illustrations OF the
spirit of these employees. In one case, Jus'
lately, the pursuit was so hot that twenty,
| five boxes of fine cigars We re hastily Du[heU
in a cabOose stove. In another case, up
resulted i'll two bolts of fine silk being
| thrown from q cabOOse into the MOnonga
| hela river while crossing the Panhandle
bridge. In another instance crew broke
open car aud found it full OF or
yans. One of the men, was sc
enraged by finding nothing o.
the stealable kind, that he thrust an iron
bar into an organ and ruined it. We have
evidence that a freight conductor broke
into car, opened a piano, and SAT anu
played it all night, stopping at mlGniSh,
to eat his supper off of the polished
ton, The same fellow was humping
piano in dive last night when captured.
Another brakeman who lives on Wyh6
avenue stole a bolt of cloth, had a suit
made for himself and gave the cloth for two
other suits to two OF his friends. Another
man has become an expert on a stolen ac'
cordeon. In all my experience OF % years
| never saw such taste for miscellaneous
stealing. Everything except colin and
Il blacksmiths anvil has been stolen and
made Use Of Some of our detectives as
sured me this morning that not man was
arrested but had from half a dozen to 4
dozen pairs of clean socks of the hnest
qualities, aud large assortment OF SHIRTS
OF all kinds"
THE CAPTURES.
The thieves who were not arrested al
their homes were taken from their trains.
The red" light had to be given the
freights as they pulled on to the block at
Second avenue, meaning the fearful OBJ
structiOn of an officer with warrant fol
the arrest of every man on the train but
the engineer and fireman. This was sc
quickly executed that when the thleying
crew mustered on the little platform to ask
what the red light meant they could see
| glistening on the wrists of each other the
fearful implements Otjustice by which the
officers gathered them together Con
ductOr and brakemen looked aghast al
each other rs the guilty knowledge of theil
crimes came before them.
Train after train was sidetracked unh
the alleged thieves were pulled, and the
rabOOSe cars containing many evidences O
their long continued depredations were
cut loose and searched. The combination
to rob freight train necessitated the
guilty knowledge and actual participation
of the conductor, the middle brakeman
one or more, and the rear brakeman ol
nagman. 1t did not, of necessity, take il
the front brakeman or flagman, nor thu
engineer or fireman, but the Others had tC
20 in to make it work, and it did work.
1t was not required that they SHOULD
wreck trains to rob. They were
FINER-FINGERED OPERATORS
than that They were no mere gatherers
up of scattered goods, like the mob wht
carried off the hams at the riots, not they
every excuse, which they knew could no
well be denied, was given for broken car
when they neglected, which they frequent
ly did, TO seal or lock them up again
The Government bonded ears were broken
perhaps Oftener than the ordinary UniOl
Line or common freight cars. In theS
they always knew they could get chOiC
goods. Silks, cigars, rifles, all kinds O
imported firearms and Caddies of tObacc
seemed to be some Of their necessities
boxes of shoes and n general run @
merchant supplies for their ever
day use were found openly in tn
cabOOse cars of each train. Hundreds G
boxes which had contained the finest q
imported cigars were found on these trains
boldly used by the men to hold their cap
and Overalls and lanterns and waste stuff
So bold had they become that the Unite,
States regulations, strict rs they are, ma
lost all terror for them. Whilst the Gus
tom House officers were trying to trace tn
goods, and the merchants here and else
where corresponding with the shippers
and the special agents at special pay wer
wondering how this could possibly be, an
loading down the letter books with thee
ries which flew around as indefinite a
smoke, the operators smoked their HG
banas within the very show of the COur
or Custom House and laughed at thei
masters, who suffered the loss.
Each man, too, was
WELL ARMED.
He wouldn't 90 without his gun whe
such weapons were so cheap. He did nc
trust to that alone, but added a long knit
to his armor, which never missed fire q
close quarters. They were banded fC
business, and they meant it and did it.
HOunslow Heath was nothing TO tn
rich quarry the thieves worked. FrOI
Pittsburgh to Columbus, along the line {
the Panhandle Railroad, they pilfere
wholesale when they wanted, and reta
when their fancy suited. They were in
provident, like all thieves, and saved moth
ing of their stealings. Years ago it was
saying among railroad people that whe
they were discharged from good road
they could ALWAYS get place on the Par
handle.
As far east as Harrisburg this talk wg
common. You get no letter from me,
said Superintendent Chas. A. Black to
f wild engineer who had smashed up
freight train for the second or third timt
, II don't care, " said the fellow, 81 can g,
situation on the Panhandle" 1t seen
as if he did, and plenty of other bad me
beside. But this has not been lately. II